Intel to Produce 'Significant Portion' of LTE Modem Chips for iPhone 7

[sw1tcher]

In a world where people upgrade their phone every 2-3 years, a 450Mbps LTE chip doesn't make for much of a selling point. No carrier is going to get anywhere close that during the lifetime of the device.

iPhone 7 is expected to come out later this year. That means some early adopters will still have an iPhone 7 well into 2019, based on your stated 2-3 year upgrade cycle.

No carrier is going to get anywhere close to 450Mbps by 2019?

From http://www.cnet.com/news/verizon-to-hold-worlds-first-crazy-fast-5g-wireless-field-tests-next-year/

Verizon to be first to field-test crazy-fast 5G wireless

September 8, 2015

The nation's largest wireless carrier will begin field trials on so-called fifth-generation, or 5G, technology within the next 12 months, Roger Gurnani, chief information and technology architect for Verizon, said in an interview last week. He expects "some level of commercial deployment" to begin by 2017.


How fast is 5G? Verizon's tests have shown a connection speed that is 30 to 50 times faster than our current 4G network, or higher speeds than what Google Fiber offers through a direct physical connection into the home, Gurnani said.

 

[You are the One]

Apple could license LTE modem intellectual property from Intel to achieve that goal, and the chip maker could also be tasked with fabricating the chipset based on its advanced 14-nanometer process.

Isn't it Ericsson that holds the LTE-patents?

 

[macduke]

iPhone 7 is expected to come out later this year. That means some early adopters will still have an iPhone 7 well into 2019, based on your stated 2-3 year upgrade cycle.

No carrier is going to get anywhere close to 450Mbps by 2019?

From http://www.cnet.com/news/verizon-to-hold-worlds-first-crazy-fast-5g-wireless-field-tests-next-year/

Verizon to be first to field-test crazy-fast 5G wireless

September 8, 2015

The nation's largest wireless carrier will begin field trials on so-called fifth-generation, or 5G, technology within the next 12 months, Roger Gurnani, chief information and technology architect for Verizon, said in an interview last week. He expects "some level of commercial deployment" to begin by 2017.


How fast is 5G? Verizon's tests have shown a connection speed that is 30 to 50 times faster than our current 4G network, or higher speeds than what Google Fiber offers through a direct physical connection into the home, Gurnani said.

You missed something: The iPhone 7 does not have a 5G chip. So yeah……………………

 

[djgamble]

Great to see Intel coming back into this space.

Modems rather than CPUs? Never knew that Intel really made modems, so this is interesting. They used to make a lot of them?

 

[Tycho24]

Thank God!!!!
I regularly have 70 videos streaming simultaneously on my iPhone & have a mythical wireless provider that gives me 300mbps connection speed, so I welcome 450mbps.
#finally

/s

 

[Crzyrio]

Modems rather than CPUs? Never knew that Intel really made modems, so this is interesting. They used to make a lot of them?

Technically they didn't lol my bad.

They bought the company that used to make modems for the iPhone 3G.
[doublepost=1457131787][/doublepost]

Thank God!!!!
I regularly have 70 videos streaming simultaneously on my iPhone & have a mythical wireless provider that gives me 300mbps connection speed, so I welcome 450mbps.
#finally

/s

Higher Peak, likely also means higher average and overall better performance.

 

[Tech198]

Companies must keep in line i guess with the LTE technology being taken by mobile carriers.

Its ok having a phone that can support the faster band, but if a mobile carrier doesn't support it in an area., then u'r just wasted adding feature. I just want 60Mbps in my area and i can't even get that currently even at 3am in the morning. till Voda-crap upgrades.

 

[afawcett]

Aw Qualcomm is based in San Diego, and they are a major employer here. I've always liked how their chips have made Apple's bar. I feel sorry for Qualcomm's engineers who are probably scrambling to keep Apple's business.

 

[ahireasu]

I don't get it,iPhone has
the worst screen to body ratio(the biggest bezels on a phone)
the worst SAR
the smallest battery on a phone of it's size(btw they are the biggest in size compare to anything else)
with one of the worst battery life's
it is NOT light as some say in its defence(again compared to competition)
and yet you have people defending it instead of demanding from apple to improve it and give us a product that actually worth to be called iPhone.
Btw some forget this is a Smartphone and smartphones aren't just for a little Fb,safari,few calls they are also business tools and a tool needs to have great battery life, instead being 7.1mm
better have one with 7.8 or even 8mm thickness gods forbid and housing a 2500mah battery instead the 1700mah it has now.

 

[KPandian1]

Modems rather than CPUs? Never knew that Intel really made modems, so this is interesting. They used to make a lot of them?

Tycho24 said: ↑
Thank God!!!!
I regularly have 70 videos streaming simultaneously on my iPhone & have a mythical wireless provider that gives me 300mbps connection speed, so I welcome 450mbps.
#finally

Intel modems have been around for a while - they made IBM coded modems for laptops (that came without a modem) that were sold by IBM/LENOVO for 2-3 times the regular price. And you could them only from IBM's store. Or, get cheat codes.

As for the super speed that are and will be beyond what USA customers can use, the speed of download is not like that in a car - the less lag makes you use your device more efficiently.
[doublepost=1457142332][/doublepost]

the smallest battery on a phone of it's size(btw they are the biggest in size compare to anything else)
with one of the worst battery life's

Btw some forget this is a Smartphone and smartphones aren't just for a little Fb,safari,few calls they are also business tools and a tool needs to have great battery life, instead being 7.1mm better have one with 7.8 or even 8mm thickness gods forbid and housing a 2500mah battery instead the 1700mah it has now.

I prefer a thicker battery and overall thicker iPhone too - like the iPhone 5s. The main problem with a very thick battery is they do get hot and retain the heat longer - can damage the internals! Longevity and reliability of the iPhone may get compromised - especially with the cases people put on them. My iPhone 5s has only a bumper case and thin screen protector!

 

[StoneJack]

I don't get it,iPhone has
the worst screen to body ratio(the biggest bezels on a phone)
the worst SAR
the smallest battery on a phone of it's size(btw they are the biggest in size compare to anything else)
with one of the worst battery life's
it is NOT light as some say in its defence(again compared to competition)
and yet you have people defending it instead of demanding from apple to improve it and give us a product that actually worth to be called iPhone.
Btw some forget this is a Smartphone and smartphones aren't just for a little Fb,safari,few calls they are also business tools and a tool needs to have great battery life, instead being 7.1mm
better have one with 7.8 or even 8mm thickness gods forbid and housing a 2500mah battery instead the 1700mah it has now.

maybe it got also some advantages which also benefit users?

 

[Col4bin]

I wish battery technology had seen a fraction of the improvement that cellular speeds had in the past 10 years.

It's the Achilles Heel of modern tech.

Keeps current battery suppliers fat and happy. Good for them, bad for us.
[doublepost=1457151862][/doublepost]

I don't get it,iPhone has
the worst screen to body ratio(the biggest bezels on a phone)
the worst SAR
the smallest battery on a phone of it's size(btw they are the biggest in size compare to anything else)
with one of the worst battery life's
it is NOT light as some say in its defence(again compared to competition)
and yet you have people defending it instead of demanding from apple to improve it and give us a product that actually worth to be called iPhone.
Btw some forget this is a Smartphone and smartphones aren't just for a little Fb,safari,few calls they are also business tools and a tool needs to have great battery life, instead being 7.1mm
better have one with 7.8 or even 8mm thickness gods forbid and housing a 2500mah battery instead the 1700mah it has now.

Preach on playa! This 100%.

 

[ahireasu]

maybe it got also some advantages which also benefit users?

Of course it does the iOS and until the iPhone 5s design as well(personal opinion),don't get me wrong i love my iPhone but that doesn't mean it gets absolution for all the negatives it has.
For me a good product must evolve for the better and not for worst,apple unfortunately never improved the battery,nor the size (screen body ratio,bezels etc.)or the SAR(and say is serious thing) and btw if you look on other phones as a measure of comparison they have bigger battery in smaller body lower SAR and in the same thickness as the iPhone, so it is not something that can't be done, because every other joe did it all ready.

 

[MacBH928]

Intel scares me because the world relies heavily on it. AMD+Intel+ARM probably make the CPUs of 98%+ of all the computers in the world.

I wish battery technology had seen a fraction of the improvement that cellular speeds had in the past 10 years.

It's the Achilles Heel of modern tech.

I think batteries advanced very well. Think of the first iphone and how big it was and how long it lasts, then think of the iphone 6s and what it could do and how long it will last. Battery time is not increasing, but it is maintained yet it can do a lot more.

 

[loekf]

Clueless analylists, why would Apple manage two different SKUs (PCB boards) for the iPhone 7 ? One with a Qualcomm modem and a 2nd with an Intel modem ? At least for the dual-sourced iPhone 6S, the A9 SoC came in the same package. Makes no sense to me.

And about the 450+ Mbps LTE speed. I still have to find a spot here in the Netherlands where I get LTE speeds higher than 60 Mbps. Outside Holland I know now, because of the ridiculous data roaming pricing.
[doublepost=1457166103][/doublepost]

Intel modems have been around for a while - they made IBM coded modems for laptops (that came without a modem) that were sold by IBM/LENOVO for 2-3 times the regular price. And you could them only from IBM's store. Or, get cheat codes.

Intel modem technology comes from a part from Infineon they bought a couple of years ago.

 

[KPandian1]

[QUOTE=" Intel modem technology comes from a part from Infineon they bought a couple of years ago.[/QUOTE]

Also.

I am talking about when IBM had Lenovo - early 00's. Lenovo had a sizable market, the wireless modem models (Intel) were a sizable $ upgrade. Or you add an Intel modem from IBM site.

 

[ReneR]

I have the feeling this untested silicon would lead to quite some "you are holding it wrong" connectivity issues - what is wrong with sticking with the major silicon radio players? It is not exactly that Intel is known for that expertise, ... :-/

 

[Tycho24]

Higher Peak, likely also means higher average and overall better performance.

This MAY be true in 5+ years when 5G has decent penetration, but when the current average LTE speeds are 5-12mbps, changing the theoretical max on the device from 300 to 450 with no network changes will NOT yield a consumer difference.
Even with LTE-A (branded XLTE) here in Gainesville, basically standing right underneath a tower, the "peak" (non-sustainable) speed hits about 110 for me on Verizon. So, again, moving the theoretical max on the device ONLY from three times real-world to four point five times real-world will literally have zero effect.
Much more of a "future proofing".
Even if people buy old iPhone 7's on Craigslist five years from now... they'll be BLAZING fast on the 'net!!! =)

 

[omnimoeish]

The backhaul of the carriers is the limiting factor. If the carriers could get their speeds up to even 50 Mbps it'd be a miracle. All of the 5G nonsense will be nonsense until then.

 

[mlody]

If this means truly one iPhone model for the whole world or at least US, I am cool with this, otherwise I do not care.

 

[wikiverse]

Rest assured that even if we have an absolute amazing battery tech ready, with double power capacity in same size, we can be certain that Sir Jony will slice the iPhone for his anorexic behavioural pattern to achieve thinness and give us same or less battery life as the last iPhone.

LOL, indeed. Bet his dream is to make the phone invisible or something.

You mean transparent, maybe....

Introducing iPhone 8

 

[chucker23n1]

There are also no LTE Advanced towers anywhere in the world yet, just some experimental ones.

This was false the last time you claimed it, and hasn't become more correct since. Look no further than Canada. Or Australia. Or numerous Asian, European and African countries.

 

[MrNomNoms]

Isn't it Ericsson that holds the LTE-patents?

I think when the OP said 'licence intellectual property' they mean licensing the design from Intel so then they can put it into their SoC although I have also heard rumours that Apple was/is designing their own modem to put in their SoC which could be a software based one meaning that they avoid the hard limitations of where frequency support is based into the silicon and support is provided through software. It'll be interesting to see what happens but personally I would prefer it if Apple moved their Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Ethernet etc to Intel because in my experience Intel Wi-Fi chips are pretty good.

 

[MaxinMusicCity]

Rest assured that even if we have an absolute amazing battery tech ready, with double power capacity in same size, we can be certain that Sir Jony will slice the iPhone for his anorexic behavioural pattern to achieve thinness and give us same or less battery life as the last iPhone.

I think once it gets thin enough, we'll have....A FLOPPY IPHONE
[doublepost=1457237427][/doublepost]

You mean transparent, maybe....

 

[anomie]

Rest assured that even if we have an absolute amazing battery tech ready, with double power capacity in same size, we can be certain that Sir Jony will slice the iPhone for his anorexic behavioural pattern to achieve thinness and give us same or less battery life as the last iPhone.

Hopefully. Because that is more than enough. And I don't want a bulkier phone.